College Love ~ HSMTMTS AU

Chapter 7

Seb wandered from class to class. He was having a significantly better day than the day before. After his initial shock of realizing he liked Carlos, he became much more optimistic. He still wasn't sure about telling him, though.

"Hey." Seb collapsed onto his bed after the school day had finally ended for the both of them.

"Hey, what's up?" Carlos asked, looking up from his phone.

"Not much, just tired, you?" He asked, rolling onto his stomach and propping up his head. He smiled.

"Big Red and Howie invited us all over." Carlos informed Seb, who nodded.

"When?"

"Like an hour... too tired?"

"Now, yes. Later, probably not." Seb shrugged.

"Wanna go?"

"Do you?"

"Sure." Carlos nodded.

"Okay, yeah, I'll come." Seb beamed. "Do we have plans?"

"No, we'll probably just hang around." Carlos shrugged.

"That sounds fun."

"Yeah." Carlos smiled at him.

"Why did you agree to this?" Ashlyn groaned, sitting next to Kourtney. "For both of us?"

"You can't avoid him forever, Ashlyn. And I don't want you to, and I really doubt he wants you too either."

"I just... I was supposed to be his friend, Kourtney." She sighed, putting her head in her hands. "He... all he wanted was another friend, and now I'm messing everything up for him. And for me. I'm not crazy about dating, but I'm just... crushing so hard on him."

"Ash, come on." Kourtney rubbed her friend's back. "He's got me, Howie, Carlos, and Seb. He's got friends now, alright? And he looks at you like he looks at..."

"You. Howie. Carlos. Seb. I'm really just a friend—"

"He looks at you like he used to look at Bailey." Kourtney said, referring to his ex they both knew all too well.

"She's a jerk. She hurt him."

"How he used to, Ashlyn, and he loved her. He doesn't think of you as a friend."

"I just don't wanna mess things up." Ashlyn sighed. "But I know I can't ignore him. I'll go."

"Good." Kourtney gave her a small smile. "Let's get ready."

"Fine..."

"He likes you."

"Has he mentioned me?" Ashlyn quietly asked. "Do you know that?"

"I know he does, but no, he hasn't mentioned it. I've known him since we were 5, though, and I've seen him crush on plenty of people."

"Hey. Thanks for inviting us over." Kourtney said to Howie.

"It was mostly Big Red." He responded with a small smile. "But yeah, anytime."

"How are you?"

"I'm fine, you?" Howie asked.

"I'm good." She smiled. "A bit exhausted after today."

"You auditioning Friday?" He asked. It was currently a Tuesday.

"I'll probably just work behind the scenes, but maybe as an extra or something." She shrugged. "Are you?"